Chicken Francese Class

Pasta from Scratch

Chicken Francese

Roasted Asparagus with Lemon and Parmesan

Chocolate Lava Cobbler

Fresh Pasta Dough

yield: 2 servings

1 ¼ cups all purpose flour

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ teaspoon sea salt

  Making fresh pasta dough is fun and very easy. Traditionally, the dough is mixed directly on a board or counter but it is acceptable to begin the dough in a bowl to limit the cleanup. Laminate counter tops are fine for kneading dough but natural or engineered stone is best as it is non-porous and maintains constant temperature, especially important when working with yeast doughs.

  In a bowl or on a countertop, combine the salt and flour. Using your fingers, create a well in the center of the mound, being sure that the well’s walls are equally thick and high. In a separate container, combine eggs and olive oil. Scramble eggs with a fork to incorporate oil.

  Add 1/3 of egg/oil mixture to center of well. Using a swirling motion, pull flour from inner walls of well into eggs and mix until it forms a thick paste. If working on a countertop, be careful not to break through the walls of the well as egg will run out over the work surface. When center is no longer runny, add half of remaining egg mixture and stir to paste. Add remaining liquid and repeat. Continue to mix until fork is no longer effective and then turn dough out onto work surface.

  Knead dough by flattening, folding it in half and pressing hard with the palm of your hand. Rotate 90’ and repeat over and over until dough is a consistent color (no patches of flour or egg mixture) and begins to feel springy. Pasta dough should be visibly bumpy but soft and smooth to the touch. To test, press a finger into dough. The depression made by your finger should spring back almost entirely. Flatten dough into a disk 1 ½ inches thick, wrap with saran and place in cooler to rest for 20-30 minutes or until finger divot does not bounce back. This means that the gluten that was excited in the kneading process has relaxed and the dough is ready to be rolled and cut.

Chicken Francese (Chicken French)

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (or 6-8 chicken cutlets)

1 large egg

1 tablespoons milk

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 tablespoon oil

For the sauce:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter divided

¼ cup minced sweet onion

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1/4 cup dry white wine

2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice (about 1 lemon)

1 cup chicken stock

salt and pepper to taste

minced fresh parsley leaves for garnish

sliced lemon for garnish

Instructions

To create chicken cutlets:

Line a small baking sheet with wax paper. Remove the rib meat/tenderloin from the breasts. Reserve for another use or cook with the cutlets. Place the chicken breasts on the pan and freeze for 15 minutes. This step makes it easier to slice the breasts creating cutlets. Hold the breasts firmly against the cutting board with one hand. Using a sharp chef’s knife, carefully cut the breasts in half horizontally with the knife parallel to the cutting board. If you purchased chicken cutlets, skip this step.

To prepare the chicken:

In a shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk. Set aside. Combine the salt, pepper and flour in a separate shallow bowl and place next to the egg wash. Line a baking sheet with paper towels and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat two tablespoons butter and two tablespoons oil over medium heat until the butter is melted and the foaming stops. Using tongs, dredge the chicken cutlets in the flour mixture shaking off the excess. Dip the chicken in the egg mixture allowing the extra egg to drip back into the bowl. Transfer to the flour once again, turning to coat. Shake off the extra flour and place in the hot skillet. Cook 2 or 3 cutlets at a time, turning once, until the chicken is well browned, about 3 minutes on each side. Transfer to the prepared paper-towel lined baking sheet. Repeat, adding more butter and oil if needed until all chicken is cooked. Set chicken aside. Discard the grease and wipe out the skillet with clean paper towels.

To prepare the lemon sauce:

Add 3 tablespoons butter to the now empty skillet over medium heat. Add the minced onion and cook, stirring occasionally until soft. Add 2 tablespoons of flour and stir for 2 minutes. Add the wine, lemon juice and chicken broth. Increase the temperature to medium-high and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat to medium and cook the sauce, stirring frequently, until it is reduced to about 1 ½ cups and slightly thickened, about 10 minutes, reduce the heat to low. Add the last tablespoon of butter to the sauce. Stir gently until melted. Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed. The lemon flavor will be intense.

Add the chicken cutlets to the sauce and heat gently for 4 to 5 minutes, turning once, or until heated through. Top the chicken with sautéed lemon slices and garnish with minced parsley and plenty of fresh ground black pepper. Serve immediately.

Roasted Asparagus with Lemon and Parmesan

yield: 2 servings

¼ teaspoon vegetable oil

8 oz asparagus spears, trimmed

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 lemon zested and cut in half

2 oz parmesan cheese, freshly shaved with vegetable peeler or coarsely shredded

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

  Pre heat oven to 350

 Place trimmed asparagus on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle olive oil over top. Season generously with salt and pepper and toss to coat evenly.

 Roast in oven for approximately 10-12 minutes

 Transfer to serving platter or plates, sprinkle parmesan cheese over top along with the lemon juice and zest. Serve immediately.

Brownie pudding (chocolate lava cobbler)

  yield: 8

1 cup flour

2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

½ cup milk

2 tablespoons veggie oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup brown sugar

4 tablespoons cocoa powder

1 ½ cup hot water

Preheat oven 350

Grease 9×9 pan

In a small bowl mix together flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, milk, veggie oil, and vanilla. The batter will be very thick. Pour into prepared pan, spread evenly.

In a small bowl combine brown sugar and remaining cocoa powder, pour over top of thick batter. DON’T MIX.

Pour hot water on top and place in the oven. Bake for 30-40 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.